I totally agree. I was just wondering what might make Germany a special snowflake in some peoples' minds.

I live there. But I'm not talking of Germans' love or (dis-)respect for books. There is a fixed price and a reduced consumer tax for books in order to support the reading of the masses and the writing of bad selling but highly valued authors but in the end it resulted in expensive books which surely doesn't support the reading of the masses.

And right, there is no issue for me regarding what device to select when the last Sony breaks. I only wanted to explain why it will not be a Kindle in a thread about bullying by Amazon (or was it about Amazon being bullied?)

I live there. But I'm not talking of Germans' love or (dis-)respect for books. There is a fixed price and a reduced consumer tax for books in order to support the reading of the masses and the writing of bad selling but highly valued authors but in the end it resulted in expensive books which surely doesn't support the reading of the masses.

How big a market share does Amazon have in Germany? It's not like the UK, is it, where they have 90%+ of the ebook market?

No, not that I am aware of. A Kindle can read non-DRMed mobis and AZW3s just fine when you sideload them, but Amazon is the only source of DRMed ones.

That's correct. There are a number of bookstores that sell non-DRM Kindle books, but only Amazon sell Kindle books with DRM. Not all the books that Amazon sell have DRM, of course - it's the choice of the publisher whether or not they do.

That's correct. There are a number of bookstores that sell non-DRM Kindle books, but only Amazon sell Kindle books with DRM. Not all the books that Amazon sell have DRM, of course - it's the choice of the publisher whether or not they do.

No, not that I am aware of. A Kindle can read non-DRMed mobis and AZW3s just fine when you sideload them, but Amazon is the only source of DRMed ones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

That's correct. There are a number of bookstores that sell non-DRM Kindle books, but only Amazon sell Kindle books with DRM. Not all the books that Amazon sell have DRM, of course - it's the choice of the publisher whether or not they do.

I think its no surprise Sony is getting out, however sad it is
in short, there isnt much money to be made in ebooks esp when there are so many tablets and phones out there that can do it, not to mention laptops and PCs
its sad, I like the Sony ereaders but Sony (as always) had their readers a little too expensive, if they had them 10% to 20% cheaper they might have been around for longer (got more sold) but thats conjecture

I personally think that was Sonys mistake with their Vario computer brand and blu rays. They put the price a little too high and put many off
But the high yen didn't help them

Hachette wants to do what's best for Hachette and brick and mortar book stores. Amazon would be perfectly happy to demolish both bookstores and publishers and become the only place in town where you can buy books (and everything else under the sun).

Hachette wants to sell both ebooks and physical books (hardcovers/tradepapberack). With a simultaneous release of the hardcover and the ebook, the price of the ebook will be relatively high. Once the (trade) paperback is out, price of the ebook will drop. I'd hate to see brick and mortar bookstores go out of business because of Amazon's domination, so I support Hachette and other publishers who want to keep competition and choices alive. Amazon is far too dominant already, it shouldn't become even more so. Cheaper ebook prices isn't everything. Look at Walmart and how that company has ruined small businesses everywhere while paying their employees next to nothing.

I'm against Hatchette because they want to go agency. That will raise prices on eBooks. Do you want your eBooks to go up in price?

Hatchette and every other publisher is in the same boat, ebooks are cheaper to distribute and manufacture, but they are no cheaper than a hard cover when it comes to agents, editorial and publicity staff. If you don't want to pay the opening day price then just wait until it's either a back collection or a trade publication. Those of us who enjoy e-readers have to remember the people who would rather support their local b+m bookstore, even if Amazon undercuts them every time. Jeff Bezos has been quoted numerous times saying that he wants a portion of everything sold on the Internet. Selling books at a loss just to drive out the competition. As amazing as Amazon is, let's not forget that it's desire to rid itself of competition is for the long run, that's why 20 years later and they still haven't turned a profit. They can afford to lose more money than the next guy with cut throat pricing, that sounds like a bully to me.
OB

Well, my T3 arrived. Red was all that was left. (I would have preferred black, but I'm OK with it.) I knew it was smaller than my 650, but not by as much as it is.

I had red then swapped for black and now I regret doing so. The red is a bit glossier and the black more matte so the black shows finger prints on the back and little rings around the buttons on my device. I don't think I have particularly oily finger either; at least on my Kindle PW2 the matte back isn't all fingerprinted up. Also the red just seems kind of more fun